Social media uptake of scientific journals: A comparison between X and WeChat

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Cong, Ting, Zheng, Er-Te, Han, Zekun, Fang, Zhichao, Costas, Rodrigo
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Cong, Ting
Zheng, Er-Te
Han, Zekun
Fang, Zhichao
Costas, Rodrigo
author_facet Cong, Ting
Zheng, Er-Te
Han, Zekun
Fang, Zhichao
Costas, Rodrigo
contents This study examines the social media uptake of scientific journals on two different platforms - X and WeChat - by comparing the adoption of X among journals indexed in the Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCIE) with the adoption of WeChat among journals indexed in the Chinese Science Citation Database (CSCD). The findings reveal substantial differences in platform adoption and user engagement, shaped by local contexts. While only 22.7% of SCIE journals maintain an X account, 84.4% of CSCD journals have a WeChat official account. Journals in Life Sciences & Biomedicine lead in uptake on both platforms, whereas those in Technology and Physical Sciences show high WeChat uptake but comparatively lower presence on X. User engagement on both platforms is dominated by low-effort interactions rather than more conversational behaviors. Correlation analyses indicate weak-to-moderate relationships between bibliometric indicators and social media metrics, confirming that online engagement reflects a distinct dimension of journal impact, whether on an international or a local platform. These findings underscore the need for broader social media metric frameworks that incorporate locally dominant platforms, thereby offering a more comprehensive understanding of science communication practices across diverse social media and contexts.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_17114
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Social media uptake of scientific journals: A comparison between X and WeChat
Cong, Ting
Zheng, Er-Te
Han, Zekun
Fang, Zhichao
Costas, Rodrigo
Digital Libraries
This study examines the social media uptake of scientific journals on two different platforms - X and WeChat - by comparing the adoption of X among journals indexed in the Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCIE) with the adoption of WeChat among journals indexed in the Chinese Science Citation Database (CSCD). The findings reveal substantial differences in platform adoption and user engagement, shaped by local contexts. While only 22.7% of SCIE journals maintain an X account, 84.4% of CSCD journals have a WeChat official account. Journals in Life Sciences & Biomedicine lead in uptake on both platforms, whereas those in Technology and Physical Sciences show high WeChat uptake but comparatively lower presence on X. User engagement on both platforms is dominated by low-effort interactions rather than more conversational behaviors. Correlation analyses indicate weak-to-moderate relationships between bibliometric indicators and social media metrics, confirming that online engagement reflects a distinct dimension of journal impact, whether on an international or a local platform. These findings underscore the need for broader social media metric frameworks that incorporate locally dominant platforms, thereby offering a more comprehensive understanding of science communication practices across diverse social media and contexts.
title Social media uptake of scientific journals: A comparison between X and WeChat
topic Digital Libraries
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.17114